“Beckett.” Castle made it a habit to bring her one every morning. Castle told her that he brought
the coffee just to see her smile (“Always” 4.23). When he doesn't bring coffee, it is a sign their
relationship was in trouble. When Beckett refused the coffee, it signaled she was angry. With the
maturing of their relationship, Beckett sometimes brought Castle coffee. In one episode Castle
drank his coffee in a Castle mug. In several episodes, a cop told Castle he couldn’t bring a cup of
coffee onto a crime scene. Castle always did it anyway, and got away with it.
A handshake is a ritual of greeting and acceptance. Between Castle and Beckett it became
much more, especially when they hide their relationship from the rest of the precinct. There was
a particularly sensuous one in “Secrets Safe with Me” (5.3). Castle held out his hand for a
handshake. “This is me, softly touching your face, pulling you in for a long slow kiss.” Beckett
shook his hand while rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand. “And this is me, kissing you
back, running my hands through your hair.” Castle enthusiastically exclaimed, “Best handshake
ever” (5.3).
The ritual of sitting on a playground swing set meant it was time for Beckett and Castle to
have a serious talk. "Rise” (4.1) concluded with the couple sitting on a swing set. She held a
copy of Castle’s latest novel. The fourth season finale "Always" (4.23) ended with Beckett on a
swing contemplating her resignation from the NYPD, and near death, before returning to Castle's
apartment and declaring her love for him. Castle proposed to Beckett on the swing set in
“Valkyrie” (6.1). In a funny poignant moment, Beckett acted confused. She thought Castle was
breaking up with her. Instead he offered her a ring. Castle told her, “You do know how this
works, right?” (6.1). The swings returned in “Hollander's Woods” (7.23) when the two discussed
the possibility of her running for state senate.
A “trope” is a commonly recurring literary device that means something more than its literal
meaning. The writers of the series enjoyed playing with tropes about murders dealing with
vampires, haunted houses, alien abductions, science fiction conventions and cosplay (TvTropes).
When rescuing Castle, Beckett greeted him with the reoccurring phrase, “I'm so glad you're
okay." The words meant Beckett was concerned and cared about his well-being. In "A Chill
Goes Through Her Veins" (1.5) Castle remarked that "good night" is boring, while "until
tomorrow" is more hopeful. When their commitment was solid, "see you tomorrow" is the line
they used. When either was dissatisfied with the relationship, they said, "good night."
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